'The Virus Has Changed': Mask Mandate Returns To Santa Clara Co.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Santa Clara County Deputy Health Officer George Han lamented that the county had to reinstate a mask mandate in conjunction with a majority of Bay Area counties Monday, but said it was necessary due to the emergence of the more contagious Delta variant and how much more easily the virus spreads indoors.

The mask mandate for indoor settings was jointly announced Monday by the City of Berkeley and Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties. Mask mandates were also reissued in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Yolo counties, while several other counties in the greater Bay Area recommended indoor mask use.

Bay Area residents have been able to go into most stores and other public venues mask-free since mid-June, when the state dramatically scaled back economic restrictions.

Public health officials reconsidered mask mandates as the highly transmissible delta variant surged in California and across the nation. The delta variant constituted more than eight in 10 COVID-19 cases sequenced by the state in July — an increase of 30 percentage points compared to June, recently released statistics showed.

“It is unfortunate that we have to do this,” Han said in a news briefing Monday. “At this point of the pandemic, none of us want to be here. But the virus has changed.”

Han added that any indoor setting with people not in one’s immediate household can result in a higher risk of contracting the virus.

“The virus does not care what kind of indoor space you’re at,” Han said. “Whether it’s in a public building or someone’s home, any time you’re in an indoor place with other people who you don’t live with, there is a risk that you could get infected with the virus that causes Covid.”

The vast majority of cases requiring hospitalization in Santa Clara County are people who have not been vaccinated, according to Han. Those who have been vaccinated but are in the hospital with COVID-19 are either older residents or have significant comorbidities, Han added.

The county has also seen an increase in demand for testing, according to Han. Mass testing sites are still available and the county is planning to increase its testing capacity.

As of Monday, the seven-day rolling average of new cases in Santa Clara County is 227. More than 84 percent of eligible residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“The Delta variant is now the predominant variant around the Bay Area and across the country, and because it’s more contagious we need more protection,” Han said. “That comes in the form of masks as the easiest and best tool we have to protect ourselves and our communities.”

Visit sccfreevax.org for a list of vaccination sites in the county.

Related: Mask Mandate Renewed In 7 Bay Area Counties, City Of Berkeley

Patch editor Courtney Teague contributed to this report.